


The Outcomes of Forcible Dating

by findmeinthevoid



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, also uh, because although marcnath is gr8, but dont be an irl chloe, chlonath is first bae, chlonathweek2k17, don't force ppl to go out with you, he's lowkey guilty here too, i love both but this needs moar, i missed this ship, it's fine here cause its a fic, just teens bein teens, lol, or nath actually, rated t for some mildly suggestive content, this is now an au, throwback to
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-04
Updated: 2019-03-03
Packaged: 2019-11-09 00:19:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17991308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/findmeinthevoid/pseuds/findmeinthevoid
Summary: a series of connected drabbles that began in chlonath week 2017 but I'm adding onto this AU because chlonath deserves better





	1. How It All Began

**Author's Note:**

> ayyy i'm bacc and i'm writing moar chlonath!! yay!!!
> 
> also heavens bless moon for returning from the other void and announcing intents for chlonath wekk 2k19!!!

 

 

"So you think that it is perfectly acceptable to deface private property, now, do you?"

"No! It's nothing like that, I just..."

Chloé heard the voices coming from the lobby as she made her way to the mall for her weekly shopping spree. As she drew closer, she found the source of the sounds.

"Are you aware of the consequences for such actions?" Mayor Bourgeois was asking.

Nathaniel looked thoroughly disconcerted as he stammered out a response. Chloé wasted no time in marching over to face her father.

"Daddy," she drawled.

"Yes, darling?" The mayor turned his attention to his daughter.

"What are you doing?" She asked sweetly.

"I am dealing with this young man over an issue of vandalism on a city structure," he responded.

"And do you know who this is?" she inquired, gesturing to the flustered ginger to her right.

"Sorry?" Her father seemed slightly confused, as did the redhead in question.

Chloé huffed in frustration.

"Daddy," she started again, "this is my  _boyfriend._ " She put emphasis on the last word.

This was clearly news to both males, more than obvious by the shocked look both had in common at this moment. She hastily stepped on her class mate's foot before he could comment.

The mayor's face went through several different expressions at once. He finally settled on a gentle look as he addressed the object of his initial argument.

"Well, I suppose that changes things, doesn't it," he said with a sheepish smile. "Say, could I enchant you to a dinner tonight? I'm quite intrigued by your relationship with my little princess."

Nathaniel opened his mouth to interject. "Actually, we -"

Chloé discreetly punched him in the arm to prevent him from continuing.

"I'm sure he'd be delighted to, wouldn't you Nathaniel?" she interrupted.

Nathaniel looked like he was going to object, but under the steady glare of both Bourgeois', he swallowed and nodded.

"Splendid. I'll see you at seven, then." André Bourgeois gave him a quick pat on the shoulder and hurried off.

Nathaniel waited a moment to make sure the mayor was gone and well out of earshot before turning to Chloé.

"I am not your boyfriend!" he hissed.

"Yes you are," she replied.

"No I am not!"

"Yes you are."

"Since when?"

"Since I said so," she batted her eyelashes. "And Daddy invited you to dinner, so it's official."

Nathaniel was extremely annoyed at this point.

"Well, you are going to march yourself down to your  _Daddy_  and tell him the  _real_  story."

"I just did," she countered. "It's the real story now."

"Then tell him I broke up with you." he persisted.

"No."

"What do you mean, no?"

"You are my boyfriend now. Besides, you owe me for getting you out of that situation," she said stubbornly.

"I see I have no say in the matter." he noted dryly.

"Nope," she confirmed.

The redhead opened his mouth again to respond, but eventually gave in.

"Ugh, fine." he sighed.

The blonde smiled triumphantly.

"Oh, and by the way, what  _were_  you doing here? You didn't seriously graffiti the hotel, did you?" she questioned.

Nathaniel rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. "I, er...do weird things while I'm asleep..." he explained awkwardly.

"I'll have to see that someday..." she murmured. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

"Huh?"

She sighed.

"There's a new movie I want to watch and Sabrina's busy, so, come  _on_!"

And with that she walked off, leaving the tomato no choice but to follow behind.


	2. Don't Do Art in Science Class

Nathaniel was minding his own business in the back of the classroom - and although nodding off on his desk, he wasn't disturbing anyone, when a certain blonde decided to interrupt his nap by slamming her designer handbag onto the desktop. He jumped, the pencil in his hand clattering to the floor. The redhead looked up to see Chloe Bourgeois glaring at him.

"Can I help you?" he asked dryly, looking back down at his sketchbook. Chloe's nostrils flared.

"The audacity! You were  _supposed_  to come to the hotel so we could go to school  _together_ ,  _babe_ ," she snapped. Nathaniel cringed at the pet name and decided he wasn't going to let his new 'girlfriend' use that name for him. However, he wasn't about to tell her that in the present circumstances.

"Um, sorry," he said, not really feeling it. "I forgot." After all, it hadn't been  _his_ decision to be her boyfriend.

Chloe glared some more, then decided it was better not to antagonize her boyfriend, and plopped herself down in the seat next to him. He eyed her warily.

"Do I dare to ask why you've decided to change seats?" he remarked to himself.

"Well, for one, you  _are_  my boyfriend so I should get full right to sit here," she flipped her ponytail. "And, two, I need you to teach me how to draw."

Nathaniel blinked.

"Um, you do realize we're in class right now...right?" he asked.

"So?" she replied.

"We're supposed to be paying attention to the teacher?" Nathaniel reminded, although he didn't miss the hypocrisy in his own words. Neither did his girlfriend.

"Sabrina can tell me later. Right now, I need to teach me how to draw."

"Well, see here, drawing isn't really a thing you can be  _taught_ ," he explained. Chloe raised an eyebrow.

"Do you think I care? I asked you to teach me!"

Nathaniel sighed.

"Well, uh,  _what_  exactly do you want to learn to draw?" he inquired.

"Anything," she responded. "Ugh, fine," she said when he stared at her, "just show me how to draw people."

Nathaniel showed her by making a sketch of Ladybug, then one of Queen Bee when Chloe complained about his choice of superheroine muse.

"Does it even make a difference?" he asked annoyedly when she made another comment on the inaccuracy of the details he depicted on her suit.

"Yes," she answered simply, and he chose not to pursue further for the sake of his sanity.

Fifteen minutes later, Chloe was making some slow progress. It was rough and rudimentary, but Nathaniel congratulated her in fear of her wrath otherwise. She scolded him for giving her false praise. She scolded him for not praising her enough. Nathaniel was going to lose it soon.

Just then Mme Mendeleiev passed by their desk, and he had to use his science textbook to cover their work. She raised an eyebrow and stopped beside them.

"Were you paying attention to the lesson, Chloe?" she asked the blonde, who responded in that way that made it most obvious to the teacher that she was not.

"Can you solve this quadratic equation on the board for me, then?"

Chloe shuffled up to the board and picked up the chalk. Five minutes later, however, instead of the board being covered in white mathematical marks, it displayed a chalk sketch of a blue-clad peacock-themed superhero. Nathaniel had to admit it was actually fairly decent for an amateur.

Chloe got detention. Naturally, by extension, Nathaniel also got detention. They both used it to draw. Chloe used her status to excuse the fact that they weren't learning any math. She got antoher detention, but as long as she was with her boyfriend, she didn't really care.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> doing this has me flashbacking to the good ole' days of when i was a Young Boy and used to write Like This^^
> 
> wow I've come a long way O-O
> 
> also also expect some minor plot holes because i actually don't refer back within the interconnected oneshots at ALL (except back to the first one. they're all like AUs that share the first oneshot in common and may-or-may-not actually work together with each other lol)


	3. Chloe Makes Nath Change

_"So they're really dating, then?"_

_"Poor guy..."_

_"Gee, I wonder what it's like to have a bratty snob for a girlfriend."_

 

Nathaniel ignored the whispers as he walked out of the school building, thumb tracing comforting circles into the back of the hand intertwined in his. Chloe was resolutely staring ahead, chin up in the air and focused on some point directly in front of them.

 

_"Looking at him, I bet she forced him."_

_"Obviously. What do you think she used to bribe him?"_

_"He's so pathetic, I bet he'd cave in to a hair clip."_

 

As a group of gossipers burst into laughter, Nathaniel slammed the door closed behind them and let out a long breath. Chloe glanced at him.

"Just ignore them," he reminded himself through tight teeth, squeezing his eyes shut and flexing his free hand a few times. He opened his eyes and turned to his girlfriend. "Where to, now?"

Chloe didn't respond.

"Hmm?" he asked again.

"Tell me something? Do you actually like me?" she finally spoke. He blinked.

"Well, of course I do, why else would I be dating you?"

"Well, I mean, I was kind of forceful at the beginning...I didn't ever really give you a choice, I guess..." she shrugged lightly.

"Yeah, I was a little awkward at first, but these past couple of weeks have shown me that you're not such a bad person after all," he explained.

"Mm..." she gave a non-convinced mumble in reply.

"Besides, you shouldn't bother listening to those people," he advised, pulling open the car door for her. She sat down and he followed, shutting it gently. The driver immediately took off.

"Well, I mean, they have a point," she murmured. "You never look happy when you're around me."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you look so depressed and emo all the time..."

"I'm not depressed."

"Yeah, but you're emo."

"...is that a bad thing?"

"Maybe," she sighed. "It looks like I'm forcing you to live poor." She slouched back, then straightened in a sudden burst of inspiration. The heiress leaned over the seat to whisper something to her driver, and the car sped off.

A few minutes later, a resolved blonde and her queasy redheaded boyfriend emerged in front of a large shopping complex.

"The mall? But I thought we were going to Sabrina's to study for that test..." he said, awkwardly following her through the building.

"We'll go after, this is more important," she decided.

"Uh, what, exactly, is more important about shopping than a mountain of homework mercilessly assigned to be done for tomorrow?"

"It's not my fault your sense of style is so pitiful. Your wardrobe is in need of urgent rescue!"

Nathaniel sighed.

"I happen to  _like_  my clothes," he defended, but Chloe wasn't having any of it. She pulled him past the Hot Topic and shoved him into some designer fashion store. He stared longingly after the former, but before he could protest, he was facing the inside of a fitting room door with a pile of expensive clothes in his arms.

*

The artist must have tried on a dozen different shirts, jeans and jackets before Chloe picked her top three and whisked off to checkout. He was about to change back into his own and put the rejects back when his girlfriend reappeared and glared. He groaned in defeat and forced himself into stiff black jeans, a flashy tee, and a sleeveless hoodie to put over that.

But Chloe still wasn't satisfied. She dragged him to a nearby hair salon, where he received the most expensive cut of his life. When the stylist spun the chair back around so he could see himself in the mirror, his jaw dropped. Nathaniel could barely recognize himself. The stylist had cut his locks short, and a pale film of red smoothly covered the sides of his head. His bangs were trimmed and slicked up along his forehead, hair gel holding them in place and pulled a bit higher. Then, Chloe forced him to wipe off half of his eyeliner so that it framed his eyes instead of exaggerating them in a gothic way.

Almost two hours later, the redhead nearly collapsed on his girlfriend’s sofa in exhaustion. Chloe dropped five bulging shopping bags in front of him and sat down, examining her boyfriend’s transformation. She smiled.

“Now that’s what I call a fashion rescue,” she concluded. "We'll go for shoes next week. So for homework we got..."

*

When Nathaniel arrived home that night, his own parents didn’t recognize him.

You could say his transformation truly was,  _miraculous_.


	4. Nath Makes Chloe Change

“So remind me, how did I end up dating you again?”

Chloe leaned over her glass of lemonade and gave an innocent look of wonder.

Nathaniel glared darkly. “You walked up to your father one morning and told him we were dating.”

“Ah, yes, Daddy was admiring your eccentric artistic taste and so it was only expectable that the next step would be the both of us getting together,” Chloe said, snapping her fingers in realization.

“That's really not what happened,” the redhead sighed, rubbing his finger against his glass, the contents inside remaining untouched. “You were the one who pulled us both into all of this, why are you denying it now?”

Chloe pouted. “After being my proclaimed boyfriend for two months, couldn't you at least  _pretend_ you like me as a girlfriend a  _little?_ ”

Nathaniel’s expression remained impassive. Chloe's fake smile fell and she turned her eyes down to her glass.

The redhead winced slightly at her change in expression and sighed. “Sorry- I mean- What I mean to say is...I still don't know  _why_ you chose to date me in the first place, and, uh, I guess I didn't realize you were actually serious about any of this…” he trailed off awkwardly.

She looked up, eyes blazing. “And what made you think I wouldn't be serious?”

Nathaniel backtracked rapidly. “Er, well to be fair, like I said, you still haven't told me why we're even dating. There's loads of guys- and girls - out there you could be pursuing instead, but you came up to your dad that day totally out of the blue, and kind of, it didn't really feel real? Plus you haven’t had the best track record when it comes to genuineness either,” he said, and immediately regretted saying anything.

She stared into her drink for a while, silent, then looked up. “Is that really what you think of me?” she asked softly.

Nathaniel didn't trust himself to respond to that.

She nodded, swallowing. “Well, I guess, then,” she said, making to move her chair back. “I should probably-”

“Wait, Chloe, no,” he stopped her, involuntarily raising a hand up.

She paused, eyeing him warily.

Nathaniel impulsively avoided her gaze and stared back down, voice fading to a mumble. “I didn't mean for you to leave, I-” he took a breath and looked directly at her. “Can we talk?”

She frowned.

He sighed. “Please can you just sit down again,” he asked.

She complied, though her expression remained guarded.

Nathaniel thought over his next words carefully. “I just- I need to know  _why_ ,” he finally said.

He paused, waiting for Chloe to ask “why what” and make everything awkward again. She seemed to take pity on him, though, which he was thankful for.

“Why you,” she repeated thoughtfully, not meeting his anxious gaze. “Well, I'm not 100% sure myself, actually,” she said, surprising him.

“Wh- wha?”

She nodded, to herself more than anything. “I wasn't even really thinking but I saw you there and Daddy was giving you some kind of telling off and I think I was going to either go and help you out, if I was feeling nice, or maybe I could throw you under the bus and have a little fun-”

He rolled his eyes and muttered a soft “of course” under his breath.

She reached across the table and poked him. “But  _instead_ I just ended up saying what I said and it just came so naturally and it felt really  _right_ to the point that I didn't even question it, I just kind of spoke without really thinking and then later realized...I think I meant it,” she said thoughtfully.

“You think,” he repeated dryly.

“And I think I was thinking right,” she affirmed. “Until today, at least. I guess I kind of didn't consider that you wouldn't have been totally down for it, after all…” she admitted awkwardly.

“So you came up to me and your dad and told him we were dating because... _impulse_ , and then decided to just go along with it without at all considering my own feelings in the process,” Nathaniel summarized.

She barely nodded, staring off into space. He softened, reaching across the table to take her hand into his own. She reflexively looked at their hands, taken aback.

“And you have no idea why, huh?” he asked, voice just above a whisper.

She nodded, more clearly this time.

“Then why are you still with me?” he asked, gentle but mildly confused all the same.

“You're...good,” was all she managed to say.

He quirked a bemused eyebrow.

“Talented,” she cleared her throat and said. “But...not just that…”

“No,” he echoed.

“Y- you're not fawning for me like other guys. In fact, I just kind of assumed you cared for me somewhere deep inside because from what you show, I can't tell if you even care if I'm there or not.”

He winced slightly at that. It wasn't completely untrue, but-

“And you stopped letting my opinion make less of your passions and interests,” she noted. “You get so involved in the things you love, you don't let anything take them away from you. They're so ingrained in you that you even do them while you're asleep.”

He gave her an unamused look, and she gave into the cheeky smile forming on her face.

“So much for genuineness,” he shrugged, but made sure she knew he was only teasing.

“So you thought I was nothing before, but now after getting to know me, you-”

“Think you're a total dork who is actually not nearly as romantically poetic and metaphorical as he thinks himself to be,” she finished. “Sorry, this girl must not tell lies. I thought we were going for honesty here.”

“Genuineness,” he corrected.

“Same thing,” she said, flipping her ponytail.

“Also I don't personally try to be metaphorical and poetic, you know,” he added. “Marc and the bands I listen to account for that.”

“Ah, yes, the deep and raw expression of  _emo music_ ,” she drawled. “Who knew I was dating an edgelord-wannabe?”

He frowned, slightly prickled by the  _“wannabe”_ , but didn't say anything of it.

“I literally wear eyeliner,” he pointed out, mildly annoyed. “Have you not caught on to the emo that has settled in my soul and taken over my deep inner being-”

“Again with the poetic lament,” she waved off. “You need better taste. In music- in a lot of things, actually.”

“Excuse me?” he asked, not even trying to hide his irritation now. “What, are you going to go and tailor my entire lifestyle to  _Her Highness’_ pleasing?”

“Of course not, that's for another fic,” she dismissed.

“Another- wait, what did you say?” he asked.

“ _Nothing,_ ” she sing-songed, hands clasped, smiling innocently.

Nathaniel was mostly certain that it was indeed very much something, but realized (and in a timely manner at that) that it was pointless to argue with Chloe Bourgeois.

“You need to refine your taste to truly appreciate the noble quality and high standard of so-called  _‘emo’_ music and culture,” he told her.

She merely blinked at him innocently. Nathaniel resisted the urge to scream and took a deep breath, releasing it in a long exhale.

He looked up, setting his expression firmly. “I'm taking you to Hot Topic.”

“Wait, wha-”

Chloe didn't get to object as she found herself being forcibly dragged off to someplace that she sincerely hoped was  _not_ where she assumed they were going.

*

Unfortunately it was.

Hot Topic was dark, cramped, and crowded, but not with people. There were enough shoppers milling around, most of them looking surprisingly more normal than Chloe expected to see in a store like this. What really made this place hard to stay in for a long time was how much  _stuff_ there was and how little  _space_ there was to display it all. Chloe's neck hurt from craning to try and examine all the merchandise on display- the racks went as high as the ceiling and they were all so cramped together, she didn’t know where to  _look._

Apparently Nathaniel did though, so she let him lead her through the store, weaving in and out of clothing racks and buckets of pins, careful not to knock anything over. They finally located the counter in the heart of the store, half concealed by more racks of  _stuff._ The redhead leaned over the barrier to say something to the worker, and she nodded, coming around to the front of the counter.

“My girlfriend needs a crash course in punk rock,” he explained, pointing to Chloe.

In spite of her current circumstance, Chloe couldn't help but glow. He'd never actually referred to her as his  _girlfriend_ before- was this a sign they had made progress at the cafe? She quickly tuned back into what they were saying, though. Just in time, too, the worker was now leading them to yet another treasure trove of hidden gold for goths, nerds, and general fanspeople.

The back wall was covered in band logos and decals, the lower half giving way to a solid block of shelves. Looking closer, now, all the shelves had t-shirts in them, bearing the same logos and decals displayed above.

“This is our band merch that most typical punk rock fans incline towards,” the girl explained, motioning to the wall. “If you're a newbie to the whole thing-” she glanced at the redhead and he nodded in confirmation - “you'll probably start with the commonly-dubbed ‘emo quartet’ which consists of My Chemical Romance-” (Nathaniel mimed being stabbed in the chest, to Chloe’s bewilderment) “- Fall Out Boy-” (oh, joy, screamo rock) “- Panic at the Disco-” (why was there an exclamation mark in the middle of the band name?) “- and, less universally accepted, Twenty One Pilots.” (why so many pilots? Didn't most planes just have one or two?) “Those are the most well-known by most people nowadays.”

Chloe simply stared at everything, rather overwhelmed.

“I think we'll just start her with Panic! or Fall Out Boy to get into it, depending on what she's better with. We can get into MCR and Twenty One Pilots after,” Nathaniel planned aloud.

Chloe was going to object to him not asking for her say, but then realized she didn't know enough about any of this to make a point, anyway.

“Do you have any recommendations for where to start?” the redhead asked the other girl.

She shrugged. “If she's into mainstream pop, go for the top hit songs by each band. Otherwise maybe just introduce her to your favorites- she's your girlfriend, right?”

“Mm, yeah, good point,” he nodded. “Well, we'll start with that, then. Guess the merch part can come after that. We'll see you around,” he waved to her, taking Chloe's hand and initiating the journey back out of the store.

Once they got out, it took a full five minutes for the blonde’s eyes to adjust to the light and to shake away the edgy vibe she got from the store. Nathaniel noticed her shuddering and paused.

“I hate that place,” she said bluntly.

“It's not all that bad,” he nudged. “Hot Topic has something for everyone. Once you find your something, I guarantee you'll want to come back.”

“Somehow I doubt that,” Chloe muttered quietly, but not loud enough for him to hear.

And just in case he did, she gripped his hand tighter and moved closer against him so there was no space between the two. He definitely noticed that.

“If you're going to step in front of me you might as well speed up so I can still walk normally,” he pointed out.

She pouted. “This is how couples walk,” she said, taking his arm and putting it around her waist, then doing the same to him with her own.

He looked down at their joined figures and sighed. “Okay, then, I guess,” he shrugged, moving his hand slightly so it was more comfortably settled on her hip.

In spite of herself, she grinned.

*

“C’mon, it’s just one song a day, you can do that, can’t you?”

Chloe stared at the screen, a visible expression of distaste beginning to form. She scrolled a bit and winced.

“So this is your way of inducting me into your emo cult, huh?” she asked with a sigh.

He bobbed his head. “Called out.”

“Why am I even doing this?” she asked aloud.

Nathaniel poked her and leaned in closer. “Because you love me,” he whispered.

She swatted him away, glaring. “Are you implying that you’ll only like me back if I listen to your weird emo music?”

“Are you implying I don’t like you back as is?” he challenged.

She blinked. “Did you just-”

He snatched the phone out of her hand. “So, anyways, back to the topic at hand. What kind of music do you listen to right now?”

“Um...”

“Yeah?” he gave her a concerned look.

“I like XY,” she confessed, biting her lower lip to keep from cringing.

“O-oh.”

She nodded.

“A- anything else?” he asked awkwardly, and she could sense the slight desperation growing in his voice.

“Jagged Stone’s not bad, I guess,” she shrugged with a sigh.

He looked incredibly relieved. “Oh, okay, then. Should we start with Fall Out Boy?”

She shrugged noncommittally.

“One song a day,” he pleaded.

“How about I listen to your favorite songs first and then tell you what I think and we’ll go from there,” she relented.

Nathaniel perked up. “Oh, well if we’re going that way, you obviously have to hear the classics - that would be...”

*

Fall Out Boy wasn’t  _all_ that bad. It was less goth than Chloe expected and although it could be a tad more extreme than her usual taste - oh and the song titles were a  _pain_ to type out - it had a nice beat and she could consider adding some of these to her own main playlist. She wasn’t going to tell  _him_ that yet, though.

“Can I listen to someone different now,” she asked the next time they met - for sushi this time.

“What, you didn’t like them?”

“No, it’s not that. I just don’t wanna hear  _all_ their stuff, and  _then_ move on to the next band. I think I need a change, too, it’s been two weeks.”

He shrugged. “Fair, I guess. Panic! at the Disco?”

“Sure?” she agreed uncertainly.

He had previously been watching her with a look of restrained glee, but his enthusiasm faded quickly. “I hope you don’t feel like I’m forcing you into this,” he said quietly.

Chloe thought over that for a moment. “I mean, I’d never have listened to something like FOB on my own whim, and I guess you  _are_ kind of pressuring me into it, but my taste could use some variety, I suppose,” she considered aloud. “But you  _are_ my boyfriend, and it’s only fair that to get to know you, I’d have to also get to know your taste. So, all-in-all, it isn’t a totally unfair situation.”

“That’s...unusually considerate of you,” Nathaniel said bluntly.

“Why thank you,” Chloe replied with equal sarcasm, reaching across the table to pick up one of the redhead’s spring rolls with her chopsticks.

He responded by taking a roll of sushi out of her own plate. She raised an eyebrow and they initiated a silent fencing match with their chopsticks, trying to raid the other’s dish as much as they could. It ultimately ended with them just switching plates and eating whatever they other had left before it got late and they had to leave the restaurant.

*

**_emonerdbae_  ** _is online_

_(22:03)_   **emonerdbae:**  sooo hows the emo exposur goin?

**_emonerdbae_  ** _is offline_

**_buzzoffbby_  ** _is online_

_(22:16)_   **buzzoffbby:**  mm i searchd up the most popular ones fom each album and listend to those

**_emonerdbae_  ** _is online_

_(22:18)_   **emonerdbae:**  yee?

_(22:19)_   **buzzoffbby:**  it feels like patd and fob both started out as rly edgy but started going closer to mainstrem pop as time wen by

_(22:19)_   **emonerdbae:**  yea that happens but doest that make them appeal more to the wider public?

_(22:20)_   **buzzoffbby:** idk i kinda liked their old styles better

_(22:21)_ **emonerdbae:**  whomst is this and what hast thou done with Chloe Bourgeois?

_(22:22)_   **buzzoffbby:**  hey don give me that

_(22:23)_   **buzzoffbby:**  anyway i think im good 2 go on my own now

_(22:23)_   **buzzoffbby:**  i think imma listen to top next and then mcr unless top rly sucks

_(22:24)_   **buzzoffbby:**  ill keep u updated tho

_(22:25)_   **emonerdbae:**  am i dreaming?

_(22:25)_ **buzzoffbby:**  . . .

_(22:25)_   **emonerdbae:**  i have an emo gf

_(22:26)_   **emonerdbae:**  praise the edgelords

**_buzzoffbby_  ** _is offline_

_(22:27)_   **emonerdbae:**  ouchie

**_emonerdbae_  ** _is offline_

*

It took Chloe a while to get into My Chemical Romance, and even longer with Twenty One Pilots. She did, eventually, and it was a month and a week since their last visit to Hot Topic that she found herself asking Nath if they could go back. But not for the reason one would expect.

“So I was just reading up on MCR and apparently they broke in 2013?!” she screeched into her phone one night.

“The wound is still fresh as it was five-and-a-half years ago,” he sniffled on the other end of the line.

“Shame, but anyway, this Hot Topic ad showed up on the side of the website and THEY HAVE ANIME MERCH?!”

“Ah, you finally stumbled upon the weeb side of Hot Topic.”

“Can we go back,” Chloe pleaded outright.

Nathaniel audibly froze, and she could hear the smirk in his voice as she spoke afterwards. “What did I tell you? Hot Topic has something for everyone. Just a fair warning though, a lot of stuff you see online isn’t actually found in-store. Especially if it’s anime-type stuff - that merch is a lot less popular so they don’t stock as much.”

“Just take me,” she begged. “ _Please?_ ”

Nathaniel laughed. “Who am I to deny my girlfriend a trip to my favorite store?”

*

He was right about the anime merch, at least. It truly was a shame - they only stocked for the most popular anime and even then all they had of Boku no Hero Academia was a couple t-shirts and a baseball cap. She tore herself away from the anime display with some difficulty and ultimately left the store with only a small MCR pin.

“Welcome to the Black Parade,” Nathaniel read aloud, eyeing her warily. “Really, now?”

“It’s good to know your boyfriend’s weaknesses,” she explained airily. “You never know when it could come in useful.”

The redhead mimed a tear streaming down his cheek and sighed sadly.

“Well, at least you’re not deep enough in the bandom to know my other weaknesses,” he said.

Chloe raised an eyebrow and stood on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear. “Ten years ago two months from now,” she murmured, and he pulled away as if on impulse, eyes darting to the nearest calendar.  _May 6th._

He looked at her in horror. “You wouldn’t.”

She blew on her fingernails, shrugging unconcernedly.

He ran an anxious hand through his hair so it was briefly out of his eyes. “This was a mistake.”

“Yes it was,” she said very casually. “A rather late realization on your part.”

He gave her a look of caution and sighed. “Well, at least there are benefits that come with... _this._ ”

Chloe pursed her lips and looked at him innocently.

The redhead grimaced. “Well, you got your visit to Hot Topic and your pin. See you at school tomorrow, then.” He raised his hand to wave.

She took ahold of his raised hand and threaded her fingers through his, lowering it, and easing his head downwards with her free hand, she placed a gentle peck on his lips. She let go, stepping back.

“See you!” she waved cheerily, turning on her heel and sashayed away.

He was left staring after her in mild shock for a good two minutes before shaking his head and turning around to head off his own way.

*

Since Nathaniel was no longer the one guiding Chloe through the ways of the emo, he didn’t really know much about how she was navigating this, pardon,  _trench_ of edgy culture, except of her semi-regular updates. She had been expanding her borders a bit with other artists and bands, and he knew she’d been reading up on their histories too.

However, it hadn’t really occurred to him that she might go down far enough to start stumbling upon some more...concerning aspects of this whole deal.

He picked up the phone on the second ring, leaning back against his pillows and closing his laptop.

“If it isn’t my beloved edgy girlfriend,” he drawled.

There was an impatient sigh. “I love you too, emo...”

Nathaniel sat up straight, noting the anxiousness in her voice. “You good, Chlo?”

There was a pause that didn’t ease his concern.

“Nath,” she started slowly, hesitantly.

“What is it?” he asked, very much on edge.

She took a slow breath in. “What’s up with milk?”

Nathaniel froze. It took a few minutes to un-freeze his mind and do some very quick thinking.

“You there?” she asked worriedly.

“I’m here.”

“Look, I was just surfing the web and searching up all these things and there’s this guy, er - Crank that Frank - I think, and there was also this one comment somewhere about milk. And there were like a bunch more...is this an inside joke, or-”

“Chloe,” he started carefully, and she stopped mid-sentence. “I want you to know that I really genuinely care about you a lot and so I want to listen very seriously to what I tell you, because I’m only telling you this for your own best interests.”

“But what-”

“Just promise me one thing,” he cut her off. “You will not, you shall not, you  _must_ not ever search that word up in that context.  _Ever_. Understand?”

“Oh? But-”

“That’s all you need to know - for your own sake and well-being. Please, Chlo, you have to  _promise_ you won’t  _ever_ try searching for it.”

“Nath, you’re really scaring me here, what  _is_ -”

“Swear,” he snapped. “Swear to me that you won’t do it.”

“Okay, okay, I swear!” she said hurriedly. “Now tell me, what’s up with it?”

“Nothing that should concern you,” he dismissed.

She was audibly gaping. “But-”

“ _Never you mind_ ,” he said firmly, with such an uncharacteristically cool tone that Chloe didn’t dare pursue the topic further.

“O-okay,” she promised in a small voice.

He softened. “Good. If anything like that ever shows up again - oh, and same goes for anything ambiguous about forests, lungs, hats - just close whatever it is and forget anything happened and  _never go back._ ”

Chloe didn’t dare question him.

“Got it,” she nodded seriously.

“Good,” he approved, and sighed. “I care about you a lot, Chlo, I hope you know that.”

She silently glowed. “Of course, who doesn’t?”

He laughed in spite of what had just happened. “Right, well, if that’s all...how’s it going?”

“Well, I think I’ve consumed enough of this emo crap to be able to  _appreciate_ your interests, is it enough for you, yet?”

“What, you’re not going to go goth and start wearing black corsets and ripped fishnet leggings and kinky boots and black lipstick?” he asked disappointedly.

“Don’t even go there, Red,” she groaned. “Damn, I think I’m spending too much time with Adrien...”

“Should I feel threatened?” Nathaniel joked.

“No, it turns out he’s also lowkey emo and got wind of what I’ve been doing and now every other emo reference has some stupid pun or joke associated with it and I hate it,” she sighed.

“Well, then,” he said, for lack of a better response. “Uh, okay?”

“No, just this really,  _really_ bad one just came to mind and I can’t yeet it out of my head and it’s just,  _ughhhh_...”

“ _Yeet_ ,” Nathaniel repeated, dumbfounded.

“Ugh,” she snapped. “Do you want to know what it is?”

“Uh, sure, why not?” he shrugged.

She groaned. “Okay, here goes:” she took a deep breath and cringed, “Can I keep you in my coat pocket? Cause you’re my  _rebel red._ ”

Five seconds of stunned silence followed.

“W-wow...” Nathaniel managed. “That was...surprisingly good...”

Chloe was vigorously shaking her head on the other end of the line while he laughed. “I’m sorry, that was painful.”

“It wasn’t!” he assured her. “I bet it could’ve been a lot worse, knowing Adrien.”

“ _You have no idea,_ ” she muttered.

“Anyway, you are now released from the emo prison,” he informed her.

“Thanks, like I needed your permission anyway,” Chloe said. “But that wasn’t as bad as I thought it’d be. And I came out relatively unscathed, so that must mean something...”

_“Aw darn...”_

“I heard that!”

Nathaniel cackled softly.

“Anyway, now that I’ve been forcibly exposed to the society of punk rock, it’s time you return the favor,” she decided.

“Oh, and what is that?” he asked curiously.

“I don’t know yet, but I’ll make sure it’s a super painful and difficult trial to put your love for me to the ultimate test.”

_“What love?”_

“Oi! You know I can hear you, right? And you’re going to seriously regret all those sarcastic one-liners by the time I think of a good idea.”

“We’ll see about that,” he said casually, biting back a laugh.

“I hate you.”

“I love you, too.”

“Wait, do you re-”

“Good night, Chlo.”

“Nath - wait, you have t-”

He cut the line and burst out laughing into his pillow. Who knew that becoming the unwitting boyfriend of resident snarky popular blonde bombshell and former middle school bully would come to  _this?_

Well, he didn’t know, but he didn’t particularly dislike it either...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yea see this is where the "plot" holes sort of come in but i dont really care lol just enjoy the various takes on parallel universes that slightly overlap (unless you find a way that these can all work together in the same universe if so then woot i did something right! :D)


	5. Sleepwalker Body Artist

Chloe hadn't actually believed that Nathaniel was an artist even unconscious, but she supposed there were a lot of things she didn't know. Sure, she'd taken his answer that day in the hotel lobby, but it's not like she'd actually taken him seriously.

That was until she saw his arms.

Now it should be noted that arms are a very normal thing. Most people have them. And it wasn't like she had a  _ thing _ for arms, nothing of the sort. In fact, she'd never even considered the fact that she'd never seen Nath without full sleeves until the day that she  _ did _ , and she would remember that incident for a long time (and certainly not because she had a  _ thing  _ for arms- his in specific or anyone's in general- she had no particular interest in arms whatsoever).

Seeing people with tattooed arms wasn't all too uncommon either. She didn't see it all that often because most of the people in her own circles that she found herself usually surrounded by were more refined than that. Not to undervalue people who  _ did _ get tattooed, but generally speaking, one does not find a mayor and his friends and family and acquaintances with permanent art on their skin.

Also, didn't you have to be at least 18 or something to even get one?

In any case, he'd been working on a painting in the art room that day. It was after-hours and everyone else had left, which was why she was up there to begin with. She'd patiently waited at the door as the entire population of the school exited the building, then, finally, when the number of people coming through trickled down to a measly few stragglers, and even Marc and Alix were long gone, she decided to march up the stairs and find out what on  _ Earth _ was taking her boyfriend so long.

Mind you, that meant six flights of stairs for her to climb. Only a quest to seek her boyfriend could motivate Chloe Bourgeois to exert so much energy.

By the time she finally got upstairs (it was a lot of stairs, okay?), the sky was turning a light peachy color that glowed through the window. As expected, Nathaniel was the only one in the room. He didn't notice her coming in, deeply absorbed in his own work on the canvas in front of him.

Chloe's typical response would be to march up to him and scold him for keeping her waiting, but something stopped her. She quietly moved over to a nearby stool and sat down on it gently, rather entranced by the concentrated expression on his face. His hair was actually swept out of his face, held in place by a hair clip, and so she could actually get a look of his features from this side without a curtain of scarlet blocking the view.

And his hands were moving the paintbrush across the canvas in wide sweeps that left thick streaks of uneven and dissimilar color on the canvas. She wasn't even paying attention to the painting- the process (specifically the artist) were mesmerizing on their own.

She wasn't paying attention to her own hands, either, as they situated themselves on the edge of the table behind her to keep her from leaning over and falling off. What finally broke her gaze away from Nathaniel in all his artistic entirety was the rustle of fabric moving somewhere behind her, and a soft breeze against her skin as something rough moved past. Something soft dropped to the floor and Chloe looked down beside her only to see the redhead's signature blazer, sitting in a pitiful lump on the floor, stains on the cuffs of the sleeves. She cast a look back at the jacket's owner, and that was when she finally realized his arms were bare for the first time she could remember since she'd met him almost four years ago.

They were quite nice arms, actually. They'd never hugged before (the concept was almost absurd to even consider, honestly), so she'd never really realized how slender they were. And yet he seemed to have no problem carrying his obnoxiously huge art supplies and l projects around. She wondered how that worked.

And until now, she'd sort of assumed that the multicolored mess that, er,  _ decorated _ his skin was nothing more than paint splatters, the routine results of his artistic endeavours. But, really looking, now, she could see that it definitely wasn't paint. Something much thinner and far more precise in detail. She squinted. It almost looked like scribblings. A mess of colorful scribblings in lines varying in thickness from ballpoint pens to heavy permanent marker.

Nath must have finally sensed her staring, or maybe the darkening sky caught his attention as the canvas became harder to make out, or perhaps the overall passage of time occurred to him, but he slowly turned his head and locked his gaze with her own. His eyes widened.

“How long have you been here?” he said, after a few moments of rather confused blinking.

She shrugged. “Everyone left so I thought I'd come up here…”

“Sorry,” he apologized, rubbing the back of his neck, then pulling his hand away and wincing when he realized it had been covered with wet paint.

She shook her head, then nodded, then shook it again. “Don't be- I mean, we're ridiculously late,” she said, returning back to her trademark tone, “but it was... _ interesting _ , I'll admit, watching you.”

He didn't flush. He just stared at her, then glanced out the window, then turned back to his painting.

Nathaniel didn't seem to mind the silence, but it made Chloe's skin crawl and she felt the urge to fill it somehow. There were a thousand things she could say, and probably would have said, but something about him at this particular place and moment in time and space had her hesitant.

She finally addressed the question that exposed the burning curiosity it induced. “What's with your arms?”

Nathaniel's paintbrush and the hand that was holding it both froze in mid-air. He dropped them to his sides. “I, uh, you noticed that, huh?”

She nodded, expectant.

He scratched the back of his head. “Well, uh…”

“Tattoos?” she supplied. “Make-up testers?”

He looked to the floor and scratched his head awkwardly, then sighed. “You, uh, remember when you found me? In the hotel?”

“Daddy was giving you a talking-to and threatening to arrest you,” she confirmed.

He nodded, not meeting her eyes. “Do you remember why?”

“I asked you and you said you do weird things while you're asleep,” she answered easily. “Not that that really tells me anything. That could easily go a thousand different ways depending on how dirty your-”

“Yes- no- you're right but it's nothing like that!” he cut her off hastily, a flush taking over his cheeks while his eyes were wide in alarm.

Chloe blinked. “So I'm assuming then that  _ that _ has something to do with it,” she went on, gesturing to his arms.

He nodded, still red.

She cocked her head to the side. “Explain.”

Nathaniel shrugged. “There isn't much to explain. Some people sleepwalk. I sleep-draw- well, sometimes, like that time, I end up doing both.”

Chloe stared. “So..you...draw while you're asleep,” she summarized.

He nodded again.

“Well, it didn't go the weirder route which is a relief-” (Nathaniel flushed deeper and actively avoided eye contact) “-but is this like a thing? Like, body art in specific, or-? And that explains why it looks like such a mess, I mean obviously someone could only scribble something  _ that _ messy while they were unconscious...”

Nathaniel didn't even bother taking offense at her comment and she stopped, noting his silence. She didn't apologize, though, but he didn't expect her to.

He threw his hands up. “So yeah, now you know about the, uh,  _ mess _ on my arms  _ and _ where it comes from.”

“It's not actually a mess,” she admitted quietly, unable to bring herself to form the word  _ “sorry” _ with her own mouth. “It's wild and chaotic but artistic in it's own way.”

“ _ I didn't ask for your opinion _ ,” Nathaniel muttered inaudibly, and she thankfully couldn't hear him.

Chloe had stood up and walked over to him, stopping right in front of him. She took ahold of his arm and lifted it, examining it in the fading light from outside. Nathaniel involuntarily jerked back from the unexpected touch, but relaxed and figured he might as well just let her do as she did. There really wasn't much of a point of arguing with this girl- four years with her had taught him that much, at least.

It was when she took her index finger and traced some of the lines, starting from just below his elbow, that he tugged away and she released instinctively, looking up at him questioningly.

“Something wrong?” she asked innocently.

_ “Yes, you're touching my arm- do you know how awkward that is- did no one ever teach you anything about personal space?!” _ was what Nathaniel told her in his head, but it occurred to him that he was Chloe's “ _ boyfriend _ ” now, and so that ought not to apply to them. At least in her eyes. To him, they were still spiteful classmates, one of whom spontaneously decided to pull a 180° and start acting all weirdly and uncomfortably comfortable with/around him.

He sighed and held it back up, but she was hesitant now. Nathaniel allowed himself to soften very slightly. She continued to stare intently, though she kept her hands to herself this time. He wasn't sure if he felt thankful or guilty.

“Why do you cover them?” she asked after what felt like painful eternity.

“Maybe because normal people don't walk around in public with stuff all over their arms?” Nathani suggested sarcastically. “I'm not the most confident person, you know?”

“Are you going to get a tattoo when you're older?” she asked curiously. “Or do you just want the habit to go away by itself and you'll have bare skin again?”

He paused at that.

“Uh, I'm not sure, actually,” he said slowly. “A tattoo would be cool if I could actually decide on just one thing to imprint on my skin forever, but temporary designs wash out after a couple showers anyways…” he trailed off into silence. Why was he admitting his own opinions and considerations to this girl who he barely knew- and didn't really want to know, either?

Chloe didn't look like she was judging him, though, for once. She lifted his other arm (more gently this time) and took in every detail. If his subconscious actually stood for something and wasn't just provoking the marking of random scribblings, she could probably learn a lot about him just from this. A method of involuntary expression, that might just be more personal… she didn't hate it, in spite of herself.

“I wouldn't mind if you got a tattoo,” she said aloud, softly. “If you really wanted one.”

_ “As if I needed you opinion,” _ Nathaniel said in his head, but he appreciated the odd support.

“Is is just on your arms?” she asked, turning it over. “Or do you draw on other parts of your body, too?”

Nathaniel tried not to think of the secondary implications her words could hold, and held back the blush that was threatening to take over his face again. “Uhm, well, I really just draw anywhere,” he answered vaguely, clearing his throat when his voice awkwardly broke off on the last word. “Walls, sheets- I used to keep a pad of paper under my pillow while I slept, at one point, but it kept getting shifted over and I'd wake up with the coils imprinted on my cheek.…” he trailed off.

Chloe raised an eyebrow and released her hold on his arm. He swallowed nervously.

“I'm not a pervert,” he informed her, feeling his face warm up from discomfort.

She stopped dead in her tracks and turned to stare at him. “Neither am I,” she said slowly, and he felt a tiny piece of his soul die.

“O-oh,” he said, fidgeting awkwardly. “Well, uh, I'm not, just to make everything clear. So if you were, uh, interpreting what I said before, in any way, it's nothing more than what I just said.”

She was still staring and he found himself wishing he had a piece of duct tape over his mouth before he put his foot directly into it. He couldn't have been more thankful (and at the same time anxious) when the corners of her mouth quirked up in a coy smile.

“You're a lot more entertaining than you seemed sitting at the back of the room with your head stuck in your sketchbook or daydreaming,” she told him, grinning.

Nathaniel remained frozen with that same mildly panicked look stuck on his face. She reached over and poked his cheek and he jumped away, eyes wide.

“You're funny,” she giggled, and he managed to re-arrange his expression into one of mild annoyance.

He sighed and rolled his eyes, turning away and busying himself with putting his supplies away. Chloe didn't press him further and took a look outside, doing a double take when she noticed how dark it was outside.

“How long has it been?!” she gaped, fumbling for her phone.

Nathaniel shrugged, his back to her. “I've been here later. I just make sure the door's locked when I leave, otherwise M. Ross doesn't have a problem with it.”

Chloe put her phone away, only slightly reassured. She stepped over to where he was kneeling on the floor and squatted down to his level.

“Have you ever been here this late alone with someone?” she asked, the innocence in her voice not at all masking the suggestion in her words.

He visibly froze and paled, then narrowed his eyes and turned to her. “Chloe,  _ oh my gosh _ ,” he groaned, swatting her away.

She leaned back instinctively, but didn't move from her place, nor did her innocently curious expression change.

He sighed. “No I haven't,” he admitted reluctantly. “Sometimes a few other people stay later, but it's never been just me and someone else,” he said, then immediately regretted speaking (again).

He deliberately avoiding looking at the expression she gave him in response.

Chloe didn't give so easily, though. She stood up, too and followed him as he leaned over to pick his jacket off the floor. She stepped back as he put it on, watching curiously as he re-assumed the appearance she was so used to seeing in him, but now she knew what lay underneath (the TOP layer, mind you, nothing more than that).

“Soo, Nath,” she started leaning casually against the table, then quickly standing up straight before she almost folded with her face against the tabletop.

“Mmh,” he grumbled in acknowledgement.

“Body art is your unconscious specialty, huh?”

He nodded but didn't look at her. “Subconscious,” he mumbled almost inaudibly.

It took rather a lot of nerve for someone to say what Chloe said next, but either out of oblivious insensitivity or pure daring, she went on to clap her hands together and smile brightly. “So do you think you'll make a mess of  _ my  _ skin like  that someday?”

Nathaniel stopped. “I'm leaving,” he announced, and honest-to-goodness  _ sprinted  _ out the door.

Chloe didn't miss the deep red spread across his cheeks as he ran out, and she restrained the laughter that almost took over her right then.

She ran out after him, slapping the lights off and slamming the door closed (as Brendon Urie would have wanted- but she wouldn't think of it that way until another, separate event occurred that would properly bond her with her dearest- but that's a tale for another time) and called after him. He'd already escaped the building, though, so there wasn't much of a point of raising her voice and wasting her breath seeking him back.

Jean-whatever-his-name-was had been waiting for his outside the school this entire time. Chloe stalked into the limousine and closed the door for herself (Brendon Ur- I'll stop) before Jean-X gently shut it from outside.

The whole five minutes it took to get home, Chloe stared out the window, smiling blandly into the gorgeous sunset, allowing her imagination to take her away into a kingdom where she went to bed every night with a man whose hair matched the brilliant shade of the sky outside- where a flashy superhero drew into reality everything she could dream of and more- a place where she herself fought against a violet-clad villain who was also the holder of her own heart. A place where Chloe and Nathaniel together didn't seem like such a far-fetched fantasy.

A place that didn't seem so far-fetched anymore. Where ideas verged the border between mere fantasy and concrete reality.

Chloe stepped out of the vehicle and walked through the hotel entrance with her head up in the clouds (the King of them, on the other hand- I'll actually stop this time), moving through floors and hallways on autopilot. She threw her bedroom door open and walked out onto the balcony, admiring as the streaked horizon transitioned from red to purple.

A place that wasn't actually that far away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> blame moon for the title (she summarized chapter 1 as "Sleepwalker Vandalism!Nathaniel" and i couldnt help myself)
> 
> also also yes i am panic! at the disco trash.   
> no i am not sorry for it


End file.
